Moon Palace 2008 & 2009 Brides - POST HERE!

[Camie78]

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Originally Posted by SunnyBride Hi HaleGrifa, Congrats on your wedding! I'm getting so excited as the day gets closer. We are getting married at 4:00 PM on the 29th. I had asked the resort who my wedding coordinator was, and was told that it's Marlyn, but the more posts I read, the more it seems like she might not actually be the WC, she's just the contact until I actually get one assigned? Do you have one yet? I have asked for the Tucan Wedding Gazebo, because I kind of like the idea of a longer pathway to walk on, and we're not having a Catholic ceremony. Do you have yours booked yet? We were going to have a cocktail party on the Sat or Sun that everyone arrives as a 'meet the wedding group', and then on our wedding day we'll just have the private function. I don't know locations or anything like that for the private functions yet (I've asked Marlyn, so I'm just waiting). Do you know where your function is? Are you planning on having it indoors or outside?

Hi SunnyBride,

I have a document I received from Moon Palace regarding the private function pricing and pictures of the private function sites. I also received a map of the property to help me figure out where the gazebos are in relation to the private function sites, etc. Not sure if you have received anything from Marilyn yet but I wanted to pass these along to you just in case... Let me know if you are unable to open the attachments and I can email them to you.

Camie

 

 

Private Function Packages & Pictures v1.pdf

[Camie78]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaleGrifa Thanks so much for this information. It is such a huge help to have direct info from the hotel. Some more questions 1. Chapel Garden - Are you having your reception there? This is where we hope to have ours. - Dance Floor - so there will be an area to dance - I am just concerned about my guests being on the grass all night. 2. Are you having your Cocktail Reception in the same location as the Reception? 3. With the DJ Package 4 - does lighting also come with this? - we are planning on using our ipod for the music and purchasing package 4 Are there specific hook ups that we require in order to plug into their system? Thanks again

Hi HaleGrifa,

In response to your questions above...
1. We wanted Chapel Garden for our private function site as it is right next to the Chapel Gazebo where we are getting married and didn't want our guests to have to haul themselves to a different part of the resort. I submitted my request for Chapel Garden and it was already taken, so we opted for our second choice which is Terrace Venado. It was available so we booked it. I too was concerned about the grass but then I remembered my sister's wedding and how everyone was spilling drinks on the dance floor and everyone was slipping around and falling (my sister-in-law actually fell so hard that she went to the ER that night) and realized that maybe grass is a safer option! LOL.

2. Yes. This was a personal requirement from me as I did not want guests running around the resort, etc. Below is a summary of our day.
6pm: ceremony at Chapel Gazebo
7pm: cocktail hour at Terrace Venado
8pm-10pm: dinner and dancing at Terrace Venado
10pm+: disco/nightclub or another bar on the resort

3. I found out that lighting does come with the DJ packages (1 and 2) but I was not able to get verification if lights come with the iPod packages (3 and 4). If I have the opportunity to ask my WC, I will. As for the iPod hook-ups, I am assuming that the "mixer" my WC speaks of is something similar to a regular stereo receiver. I had to buy a cord in order to hook my iPod up to the stereo receiver up at home and it was about $5 at Best Buy. The cord plugs into the headphones jack on the iPod and then hooks into the receiver. I would recommend a trip to Best Buy to pick one of those up, you can always return it. They may also have these cords at the resort. Sorry I can't provide much more information on this.

One last thing I learned was in regard to the private function automatic backup sites in the case of bad weather. I had asked my WC if it was true that they automatically book a backup site for private functions in the case of bad weather and her response wasn't clear. I asked her to clarify this and she said that the backup sites for outdoor private functions are in the ballrooms (not in the restaurants).

[Camie78]

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Originally Posted by jlwedding Hello all, Hoping you can help! We are planning on getting married in Nov '09 - app 100-120 guests - want an outdoor ceremony and private reception. We are having a hard time choosing between the resorts in Cancun (have to be kid-friendly)... can any of you provide some insight into why you choose Moon Palace over some of the other places? It looks beautiful - but would love any thoughts! Many thanks.

Hi Jlwedding,

I heard of Moon Palace through a coworker of mine who was at Aventura Spa on vacation and met a bride and groom who were on their honeymoon as they had just been married at MP. They spoke so highly of MP that my coworker passed the testimonial on to me. I did a little research on the resort (much less than others have done I feel) and saw that they have lots of things for kids to do and we decided to book it. It is a little hard getting planning details completed early on (they do not assign a wedding coordinator until 60-90 days prior to your wedding date) but I've found that if you ask a couple questions here and there to your assigned Florida contact that they will do their best to answer your questions and accommodate you. I feel that the resort is a little higher priced than other resorts (i.e RUI or Barcelo resort chains) but I do believe that MP offers exceptional service and accommodations and it is a good value for your money.

MP can also accommodate a large number of wedding guests which other resorts may not be able to handle - check out the 'private function and pricing' attachment on my previous post above to SunnyBride. It contains pictures of guest limits of the private function sites MP has to offer. One last note... MP is a VERY large resort so if you do decide to go with MP, recommend that your guests all stay on the same side of the resort (Nizuc, Grand, or Sunrise) otherwise you and/or your guests may find yourselves running around the resort to meet up with one another.

Camie

[Camie78]

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Originally Posted by nibsmom Hey everyone! I am hoping to book the 2:00pm slot on July 18th at MP! I'm so excited! I've been trying to find a good travel agent who works with the MP and will be able to get us a good deal for our guests...any one have any suggestions?? Did anyone book their wedding date before finding a TA? Is that allowed?? I'm so confused! Sorry if someone's already posted this info!!

Great news Nibsmom!

When I began this journey, I stumbled upon destinationweddings.com. I signed up for their services and was assigned a travel agent. I had a lot of issues with this travel agent as she would not return my emails or calls and getting information through her was extremely difficult. At the end of the day though, she did find the best deal with Moon Palace. So be aware if someone recommends using this company for travel arrangements.

Long story short, we ended up enlisting a second travel agent, who is a travel agent I have used several times in the past and have recommended countless times. She is based out of Minneapolis and provides exceptional service; I highly recommend her. I asked her to get a quote on the room price and her quote came back nearly $20/person/night more than the TA from destinationweddings.com. I was astonished that there could be such a large difference between two different travel agents. I then sent her the prices from the first travel agent and she was able to get within $5 of the first travel agent's price, which I thought was close enough and knew that she would provide the service that I thought my guests deserved. I've attached a pricing chart for both travel agent 1 and travel agent 2. I have no idea where these prices fall within prices others are paying but it is what it is:)

Below is the contact information for a travel agent I recommend.
Martha Aas
Travel One, Inc
maas@traveloneinc.com
952-854-2551 / 800-247-1311
traveloneinc.com

 

 

Resort_Pricing 09162008.xls

[Camie78]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWandMJ Laura, Depending on how many weddings are scheduled for your wedding day, I would push to get your WC's name so you can reserve the chapel if thats what you really want. We ended up going around the procedures and I started talking to a WC that fortunately was willing to adopt our event into her work load, despite that she wasn't our scheduled would-be WC. As a result, we were able to reserve the chapel about 6 months out.... I know that I'm neurotic and a bit obsessive about specific details, I wonder how my approach compares to the other brides getting married on my wedding day. Its like I want to get the options that I want reserved before anyone can beat me to it and limit the choices available (ie ceremony location, photographer, restaurant). Am I being too aggressive?

Marie,

I do not think you are being overly aggressive. We all want our wedding day to be perfect and sometimes you have to push to get what you want. I love this forum and the information it has to offer but at the same time it creates this underlying competition almost. I remember first reading this forum and being jealous that brides who had weddings after mine already had their private functions booked and I had nothing.

So, I decided based on your advice and others in the forum, to take a more aggressive approach and simply sent an email to my Florida contact regarding my concerns and she did everything to accommodate me and help me nail down the bigger details. I am an extremely detailed and anal person by nature, so I've had to learn that I am not going to be able to get all my details nailed down until I get my permanent WC and I've come to terms with that and have adjusted to "Mexico Time"

Please continue to share any information you get from your WC. WOW, I've posted way too many replies today. I need to cut myself off!

Camie

[HaleGrifa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWandMJ Laura, Depending on how many weddings are scheduled for your wedding day, I would push to get your WC's name so you can reserve the chapel if thats what you really want. We ended up going around the procedures and I started talking to a WC that fortunately was willing to adopt our event into her work load, despite that she wasn't our scheduled would-be WC. As a result, we were able to reserve the chapel about 6 months out.... I know that I'm neurotic and a bit obsessive about specific details, I wonder how my approach compares to the other brides getting married on my wedding day. Its like I want to get the options that I want reserved before anyone can beat me to it and limit the choices available (ie ceremony location, photographer, restaurant). Am I being too aggressive?

That is a great idea - her and I have already begun talking and she had been made aware of our desite to have the chapel gazebo and assured me that she would do her best to reserve the sight.

Thank you - here's hoping-lol

Ladies - Are you having your Cocktail Reception in the same location as your Dinner & Reception?

What are the locations that you are considering?

[HaleGrifa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camie78 Marie, I do not think you are being overly aggressive. We all want our wedding day to be perfect and sometimes you have to push to get what you want. I love this forum and the information it has to offer but at the same time it creates this underlying competition almost. I remember first reading this forum and being jealous that brides who had weddings after mine already had their private functions booked and I had nothing. So, I decided based on your advice and others in the forum, to take a more aggressive approach and simply sent an email to my Florida contact regarding my concerns and she did everything to accommodate me and help me nail down the bigger details. I am an extremely detailed and anal person by nature, so I've had to learn that I am not going to be able to get all my details nailed down until I get my permanent WC and I've come to terms with that and have adjusted to "Mexico Time" Please continue to share any information you get from your WC. WOW, I've posted way too many replies today. I need to cut myself off! Camie

Marie & Camie - thanks so much for your help . . . I am in the midst of completing my email to our WC to get the ball rolling.

Laura =)

[nibsmom]

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone! I finally sent in my reservation request! YAY!! As soon as I get that contract, I'm sure I'm going to come up with tons of questions! I'm so excited - MP seems like the perfect place for my wedding!

 

Marie - I don't think you're being too aggressive either. It's kind of stinky that we can't get answers until a certain date out - I understand the reasoning, but major details should be taken care of earlier! I wouldn't worry about it - get what you want!

[SunnyBride]

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Originally Posted by HaleGrifa Hello Canadian Bride. Wow I can't believe that we are on the same day! When do you arrive and depart? How many guests do you have? Did you book through MP or a TA - cost? Are you honeymooning at the MP? We are getting married at 3pm on the 29th - but hoping to change the time to 4pm (either way it does not matter, but we would like to move it back) Our plan is as follows, although not set in stone: Ceremony - 3pm (or 4pm) Chapel Gazebo - We are currently assigned to the Tucan Gazebo - which I am ok with, but would prefer the Chapel. We are having a Civil Ceremony with the Deluxe Package. I have requested through my WC to have the Chapel and she is going to confirm with me once we begin planning. Cocktail Reception to follow the Ceremony - maybe Chapel Garden or a Terrace Terraces- Do you know of any info on these? We would like to select something close the Chapel and the Grand Side. Reception to Follow - Chapel Garden or Terrace We are unsure about using the Garden - as there may be other weddings in the background (although I heard this never happens) As well, I wonder about being on the grass for sitting and dancing? (shoes) We are doing a round table set-up with also the lounge set-up incorporated. Does any Bride have experience with the lounge set-up? We hope to extend the reception - but unsure of the cost. Based on that we will determine when we will head to the Disco. Music - What are you doing for this? We are bringing our ceremony music and reception music on an IPOD (we will burn the ceremony music on a cd - as I have read that this is a must) We have tonnes to chat about!! Where in Canada are you? We are in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Happy to meet you - Laura

Hi Laura!

It is fun to meet someone getting married the same day! We fly in on Friday, January 23rd, and we'll be staying at Moon Palace for 8 nights. We're moving to the Aventura Spa Resort the next Saturday, and will be there for 6 nights. We wanted to make sure we stayed at Moon Palace until Saturday because most of our guests will be flying out that day. We had a family friend who is a member of the palace resorts, and has let us use their membership to book all of our guests. So far, I think we have about 40 guests that are confirmed to come. It's so exciting! What about you? When do you fly in? And how many guests?

So you do have a wedding coordinator assigned already? I've been asking Marlyn for one, and should be getting one pretty quick - in three days, it will be exactly three months until our wedding days!

I can't decide what to do with the music. We're bringing a CD for the ceremony, but for the private reception, I haven't decided. I had thought that we'd just go with our Ipod, but I do want some control over the lighting - has anyone had experience with this? I saw someone quote earlier that you can buy the lighting separately from the DJ, but I don't want it to be a lot of work if we do it ourselves.

Have most of your guests paid for their trip already? We are in Calgary, in Canada, and I'm PANICKING over the Canadian dollar and the exchange rate! We are booked to pay in US funds, and our trip is getting more expensive every day! I just feel bad about our guests because it was already a lot of money to be asking them to spend, and most of them have only put down their initial deposits. Yikes.

What are you doing for decorations in the chapel/gazebo (whichever you go with)? I was actually wondering if we could purchased flowers for the gazebo, if those same flowers could be used for the centerpieces on our tables later that night, for our private reception? Has anyone tried that?

[SunnyBride]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camie78 Hi SunnyBride, I have a document I received from Moon Palace regarding the private function pricing and pictures of the private function sites. I also received a map of the property to help me figure out where the gazebos are in relation to the private function sites, etc. Not sure if you have received anything from Marilyn yet but I wanted to pass these along to you just in case... Let me know if you are unable to open the attachments and I can email them to you. Camie

Thank you so much for posting these!! Info like this is so useful.